One year and one month after his impressive international debut Edwill van der Merwe will finally get to ensure that he avoids being what he desperately wanted to avoid becoming - a one test Springbok.
There were two things everyone was talking about when the Boks opened their 2024 season with a 41-13 win over Wales at Twickenham last June. One was the way Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu marked his first game for his country by calmly slotting a long-range penalty within minutes of coming onto the field as a replacement flyhalf for Jordan Hendrikse. The other was how at home the other debutant Van der Merwe looked on the wing and his great debut try.
However, through misfortune more than any fault of his own, the then Emirates Lions winger was unable to kick on from there and has had to wait until this coming Saturday’s game against Italy in Gqeberha to add to that solitary international cap.
“My biggest goal was to play for the Boks and I got that opportunity, but at the same time what I didn’t want to be a one-cap Bok, so by the grace of God, one year and a month later I am getting that opportunity,” said Van der Merwe and it says something about how serious he is that is so aware of the time between his first international appearances.
“Just being back in the mix is a massive privilege for me but it is very special to now be playing for my country on home toil. My parents are travelling from Cape Town to watch me play and it is going to be a huge occasion for the family.
“I played that game against Wales last year in London and then you will recall it was the incoming series against Ireland. I didn’t get selected for the first test and then I was released for the second game to get some game time with the Lions.
"Unfortunately it was while playing for the Lions that I injured my ankle and was then ruled out for three months, so I was denied any further opportunity to play for the Boks during the home season.
“I was healthy by the time the end of year tour came around but was not selected,” he added.
BRINGS HIS OWN STAMP AND UNIQUENESS
Of course the 29-year-old, who hails initially from Stellenbosch and was schooled at Paul Roos Gymnasium, is playing in a position where it is hard to become a first choice Bok given the stellar achievements of the incumbents Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse.
But that doesn’t faze Arendse, instead he feels privileged to be in their company. He also doesn’t want to imitate them.
“What a privilege it is to train against those guys day in and day out. They are probably the top two wings in the world right now. At the Boks everyone helps each other and just being able to learn from those guys has been huge for me. They are an inspiration and both players who bring electricity to the games they play in.
“I wouldn’t say I am out to top them. The biggest thing is just to play well for South Africa. They are the gold standard. For me it is just about being myself. I feel I can bring something of my own that is unique which is why I am in the group.”
Indeed, anyone who has seen Van der Merwe in action for the Lions would agree that if he was from any other nation he’d probably have played a whole clutch of international games by now.
HAS MOVED TO DURBAN
After starting out at the Stormers, for whom he made his first class debut against the Sunwolves in 2019 (he played his first top level game for Western Province three years before that), he moved to the Lions, where he was arguably their best player and certainly their most explosive attacking force for four seasons.
However, his latest Bok call up came as he was moving locations, switching from Johannesburg to Durban, where he will link up with the Sharks.
“I have already moved to Durban and it was on the Sharks’ training field at Kings Park that I trained in preparation for this time with the Boks,” he says.
READY FOR ITALY AFTER BEING ITALY
Van der Merwe, after watching the first test from the stands at Loftus, is expecting a further step up from Italy at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium but reckons the Boks will step it up too. And this week he and his fellow newcomers to the team have an advantage that the team that played a week ago didn’t have - they trained as Italy in the buildup to the first test, assimilating the Italy team’s move, to help the starting team prepare.
“The nice thing is that last week we were Italy. We ran as Italy last week against the starting team and it helps us this week to know what is coming,” he said.
“But knowing what is coming and stopping it are two different things. What is important is that we need to be in the right mindset. Both them and us will probably add a lot more physicality this week, both teams will step up. So it will be a big challenge for me and us as a team.
Fortunately I have guys around me who have been around for a while, Willie (le Roux) who is playing his 100th game and (Makazole) Mapimpi. They’ve played many times for the Boks and that is a big help to me.”
Van der Merwe is also excited about the flair that has been packed into the team through the latest selection and is looking forward to playing with the likes of Manie Libbok and Canan Moodie.
“it is very exciting to be playing with guys like that and if everything goes well there should be a lot of ball coming my way and hopefully opportunities to attack,” he said.